Minister Says MoD Examining Security Risk from Chinese Cars, with Staff Advised to Avoid Confidential Discussions in Vehicles.
An defense minister has revealed that the MoD is currently examining the potential security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been advised to refrain from discussing secret information in all vehicles.
Security Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss secret information while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister said that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that safety is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any car, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Context
The announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to disable buses and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The broader defence situation highlights the significance of robust protocols and caution in all aspects of government operations, including transport use to communication practices.
